HEALTH
personality traits in people with cancer; he had
Part of the reason why
also noticed how particular types of unresolved
trauma and emotional shocks correlated with I was sent home early
specific sites of cancer. What he was saying
seemed relevant to me. A family crisis that
was because I was so
occurred several years ago jumped out at
disgustingly cheerful –
me as being not fully resolved: I had found it
enormously stressful at the time and was still
such behaviour
carrying a lot of guilt about it as well as the
persistent need to know what had happened;
doesn’t fit in
in fact I had not been able to sleep through
the night since then. About a week after I was a hospital!
diagnosed with cancer, I woke up knowing I
had to address this. So I did a change personal
history process there and then - since which
I’ve been able to sleep properly again!’
Rosie’s Change Personal History Process
• Deciding to do the process with the help of
a timeline, I imagined my past as a line going
out behind me.
• I recalled the feelings associated with the
incident, and anchored them by touching
my shoulder.
• Holding my shoulder, I went back along the
timeline to the time of the incident.
• Stepping off the timeline to an observer
position, I took my hand off my shoulder and
First Photographic, Kintore
gathered the resources that were available to
me now, in the present, such as my daughter, exciting new untapped areas.’ of my left breast, and it occurred to me that it’s
friends, and my NLP skills, and I reminded Rosie has met with her surgeon for the possible to make plaster casts of parts of the
myself of the ways I help others and facilitate histology report. ‘The lymph glands are clear, body, which can then be cast in bronze. So I
others in doing wonderful things. as I knew they would be. Brenda the bee has found someone on the internet who could tell
• Holding on to those resources, I stepped been helping here. Curiously, my surgeon said me how to do it, and then, with the help of a
back on the timeline on the day before the that on removal the cancer was smaller than friend, we did it. Seeing it lying on the kitchen
incident occurred, when things were still OK. expected. I wonder slightly, if I had continued table I found it easier to separate myself and
• Still holding my resources, I walked along the with the visualisation, would it have shrunk say goodbye to it. And then Jim surprised me by
timeline, through the incident and on up to the and disappeared completely? I will never saying we should hang the finished bronze on
present moment. know that; I’m just happy with the result I the wall - so that’s where it is now!’
• Standing at the present moment, I looked to was given. After all, I can now say that I had And the book, “My Left Breast.” ‘Well, what
the future, happy and cancer-free. I felt in my cancer. I’m not having any further treatment. we usually hear about with cancer is all the
solar plexus area all the resources I had brought As we were discussing the possibility of my negative stuff. People don’t often talk about
with me along the timeline, and noticed them taking medication, I noticed that my surgeon the positive aspects. And young women tend
radiating around me and out into my future. and I weren’t listening to each other. I don’t to think it won’t happen to them. While I was
• I floated back over the timeline to look down want medication: the only thing he could offer in hospital I was writing about my experience
dispassionately at that period in my life. I don’t me had only a 2% provable success rate in on Facebook; it prompted lots of responses.
know what happened and I no longer feel the preventing further cancer, so why would I want Reframing what some might perceive as a
need to know. I no longer feel that it was my to take it? I’m going to continue visualising, catastrophe is something I’ve always been able
fault, and no longer have any remorse or panic positive thinking, and also eating well: no to do. And knowing that a solution for me
or anger about it. I’m happy to move forward. red meat, very little wheat, no sugar, and no affects others gives me something larger to live
processed foods. I’ll just have some regular for; it’s about more than just me. So the book is
Future planning check ups, first at six months and then annually. about sharing what I’ve learned with others.’
So what does the future look like now for And now I’m busy resting and thinking She ends with a typically irrepressible
Rosie? ‘Well, once I was out of hospital I positively about my future. I want to be there remark: ‘I love the etymology of the word
immediately started setting more goals. I for my grandsons and their mum, and for my Amazon - it means “without a breast”. So now
booked a holiday to Egypt in April. I started on partner, and also for the people I can inspire I’m a warrior woman without a breast!’
my new book, “My Left Breast”. I intend to be and enable with NLP.’
1½ stones lighter by August 18th. And I intend Rosie chose not to have reconstructive surgery
Rosie O’Hara lives and works in Scotland:
to honour all this year’s work commitments – but she did have a model breast made, of a
www.nlphighland.com
while remaining open to work coming in for different kind. ‘I wanted to keep some memory
30 | Summer 2009 - rapport
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